In data storage systems where disc-shaped media are used, the media is generally rotated during operations. Data can thus be recorded in the form of one or more curved or circular tracks. Often, the transducers used for recording and retrieving data from the media are supported and moved in arcuate paths by an actuator which has an axis of rotation that does not coincide with the axis of rotation of the media. It follows that when the actuator is significantly skewed relative to the track tangent, the writer may overwrite to an adjacent track.
It is not easy to overcome such skew angle phenomena. One known method involves spacing adjacent tracks sufficiently apart to avoid overwriting to adjacent tracks, but this means that the overall storage capacity of the media will be reduced. To compound the problem, the skew angle is different for different orientations of the actuator.
The present invention therefore proposes a new approach to address this and other problems, thus offering advantages over the prior art.